Tag: lessons
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Shuttling vs. Driving to the Airport
A quick Would You Rather today. I was inspired by a teacher asking students to model airport parking as a means to get at linear equations. I thought I’d frame it similarly, but using the WYR format, because I like the WYR format. I live a good distance away from a major airport, and I…
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Revisiting the revisitation of the 2000 election
A couple years ago I shared a stats-ish problem idea regarding the oh-so-fun 2000 presidential election. The problem was cribbed from a graduate level stats textbook but the data are straightforward enough for a – let’s say – 9th grader to grasp. What made me want to revisit the task is some fun data tools…
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Quick Hits: Razor Blades and Fractions
A potential fractions task because because middle schoolers probably really struggle with the high cost of shaving blades. Not a super complex task, but maybe good for a warm-up? Artifact: Suggested Knows/Need-to-Knows: We know… Dollar shave club sells razors at a price of four for $6. “Their” razors cost 1 1/2 for $6. We need-to-know…
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Assessment via audibles: OMAHA! OMAHA!
It’s both the first question and the last one when developing an inquiry-driven classroom, ostensibly featuring significant groupwork: How do you keep individual students accountable while working in groups? While that’s a huge bear of a question that is better addressed via a book, I want to take a stab at a small slice of…
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Reduced Fat ‘Nilla Wafers are an Empty Canvas for Problem-Based Learning Models
It’s probably not exactly the Great Double Stuf Oreo Controversy of 2013. We’ll be bouncing our grandchildren on our knees talking about that one. But here I am with some Reduced Fat ‘Nilla Wafers, thinking about multiplying percents and fractions. Rest assured, I purchased these on accident. I meant to get the Original Wafers in all…
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Larry Ellison, billionaire CEO, makes unsound business decisions with regards to his basketball playing on his yacht.
Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle, has gobs and gobs of money. How much money? Well enough that he can do this. Boy that seems wasteful, doesn’t it. I mean, when I’m playing basketball on my yacht and I lose a ball into the ocean I just purchase an extra basketball. Wouldn’t it make…
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Guy racing another guy in a squirrel costume, obviously a systems problem
Artifact Entry Event: Only the first half of this video of some between-innings entertainment, like so: (Editor’s note: I had to grab the video via a screencast, which doesn’t have the greatest resolution. If anyone can download the video directly, please let me know how. (See update below)) Suggested Questions: Who wins, the regular guy…
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A Problem Based Learning Starter Kit
You’ve seen the tasks. You’ve read the research. You’re basically bought in. But how do you begin? More importantly, how do you introduce students to inquiry driven learning? Or maybe you’re not convinced. Perhaps you maintain that the teacher is the primary knowledge constructor. Perhaps you’ve been burned in the past by inquiry driven instruction.…
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Just how silly is a 45-day weather forecast? And while we’re at it, just how good is a 2-day forecast?
Artifact I’ve got bad news for everyone here in the Fort Collins area: there’s a chance of showers on Labor Day (September 2). It’s a shame because the following Monday (September 9) shows a mostly sunny day, with a high of 77 degrees. (I am writing this on August 8.) Seriously, AccuWeather? Yes, AccuWeather is…
emergent math 